Australian Muscle Car

steve normoyle

Last issue we celebrated the 40th anniversary of Peter Brock’s legendary six-lap James Hardie 1000 win. Was it really that long ago? It does not seem like 40 years have passed since that momentous ’79 Bathurst – at least for those of us of a certain age! But 40 years it indeed has been, and that is rather a long time. A lot of things have changed in this country over those past 40 years. Take, as one example, what’s happened in the automotive sector: we don’t make cars here these days, but in 1979 more than 300,000 motor vehicles were either manufactured or assembled in Australia by Holden, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Nissan – and even Renault. And only a few years earlier you could have added Volkswagen and British Leyland…

ford muscles up: factory supercharged stang for 2020

Meet the Ford Mustang R-Spec, a factory-backed 522kW supercharged V8 hot-rod sold through Blue Oval dealers nationwide. It comes with a five-year warranty, costs $299 per service and can be yours from early 2020 for $99,980 plus on-road costs. That’s $60,000 less than a HSV-converted Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and the Ford adds an extra 45kW into the bargain. Those are definitely numbers to get the crew at Walkinshaw Park paying attention. But if you’re interested, you’d better pay attention to this: just 500 individually numbered and badged R-Specs are being built, and Ford says the early response has already been enthusiastic – no doubt aided by Ford touring car legend Dick Johnson’s demo laps in one at the Bathurst 1000 meeting. It’s a first for Ford Australia to sell a supercharged Mustang, but…

tickford bullitt

Tickford is offering an upgrade package for the special edition Bullitt Mustang, released midway through last year. Option 1 of the Tickford Bullitt Power Pack includes Tickford naturally-aspirated ECU recalibration, individual Tickford build number and enhanced badge and 3yr/100,000km Tickford driveline warranty. Option 1 is priced at $2750. Option 2 ($3,729) includes all of the offerings in Option 1 with the addition of 25mm lowered suspension and month/20,000km Tickford parts warranty. Option 3 ($7,249) upgrades Option 2 with 20-inch black Tickford wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres. Each option includes a new ECU recalibration that increases power from 10-15 percent. The Bullitt Power Packs are now available at Tickford Enhancement Centres. For more information check www.tickford.com.au/bullitt…

vale: peter molloy

STOP PRESS: One of the great characters and engineering talents of Australian motorsport history has passed. AMC was closing for press when news came through that Peter Molloy had succumbed to the brain tumour he battled for some time. Molloy was a central figure of Formula 5000 competition through the 1970s and also built the engines that powered the Moffat-Bond 1-2 at Bathurst 1977 and Bob Morris’s 1979 ATCC assault that netted an against the odds title. Look for a more substantial tribute next issue. AMC was also saddened to hear of the sudden and unexpected passing of long-time Chevron Publishing volunteer researcher Scott Mackay at his home in Mildura. Scott was an ever-enthusiastic and reliable resource for many motorsport writers over many decades.…

new nagari unveiled

Bolwell has celebrated the 50th anniversary of its legendary Nagari model by whipping the covers off its first new model in a decade. The Bolwell Nagari 500 was previewed at Melbourne’s Motorclassica show in mid October ahead of its future release. Its public unveiling was timed to tap into the nostalgia surrounding the original Nagari’s release 50 years ago, in 1969. The original Nagari was a front-engined V8 sports car with a fibreglass body. It was powered by a Ford 302 Windsor V8, although later versions were fitted with Cleveland 351s. The concept was overhauled for the 40th anniversary via the Toyota V6-powered Bolwell 300. Now the brand’s new 500, so named because it packs about 500 horsepower, aims to replicate the legendary Aussie-built model’s philosophy of low-weight, high-horsepower. The new Bolwell tips…

s5000 thunders into action

It’s been a long time coming, with a lengthy gestation period that’s been convoluted and even fraught at times. But finally, S5000 has arrived. And did so in fine style. This modern day reimagining of the old 5.0-litre stock-block V8-powered Formula 5000 openwheeler racing category of the 1970s finally made its race debut at the Sandown Shannons Nationals round in September. A field of 13 of these new-age big-banger openwheelers – headed by former F1 Ferrari ace Rubens Barrichello making a cameo appearance – took the start for the historic first race meeting for the new category. The first S5000 race win went to Tim Macrow (the test driver during the development of the prototype S5000 car), but main race honours on Sunday were claimed by James Golding. The GRM Commodore Supercars ace…